- Liverpool City Region's first ever waste crime conference on
Friday 16 October brought multiple agencies together.
- Partnership working to attack the issue of environmental
crime in Merseyside and Halton.
- Aim of improving shared intelligence and resources to help
prevent waste crime and disrupt criminal networks.
The Liverpool City Region Waste Crime Conference was organised by
the Environment Agency and the Merseyside Police & Crime
Commissioner to strengthen the collective fight against illegal
waste activity.
The event, hosted by Halton Borough Council, brought together
agencies involved in tackling environmental crime in Merseyside.
These included the Environment Agency, Merseyside Police, the
Joint Unit for Waste Crime, the 6 local councils that make up the
Liverpool City Region, Defra, UKHSA and Merseyside Fire &
Rescue Service.
The conference brought together authorities from across
Merseyside to strengthen the collective response to waste crime.
Partners agreed to work more closely, sharing intelligence and
coordinating activity to prevent and disrupt illegal waste
operations and protect communities and the environment.
Under the Prime Minister's crackdown on waste crime, the
government and Environment Agency are working together to ensure
serious, organised criminal gangs have nowhere to hide.
This is backed by an additional £45
million from the
government over the next three years, on top of
the £5.6 million increase for this financial year announced
previously. This
will strengthen enforcement activity and
ensure waste criminals face the consequences of their
actions.
Ian Crewe, Area Director of the Environment Agency in
Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire said:
Waste crime hits communities, harms the environment and
undermines honest businesses and landowners. It costs the
English economy over £1 billion every year, with an estimated 20%
of all waste illegally managed.
This is not a problem that any single agency can resolve so it is
important that we attack this collectively and build on the work
already taking place. By sharing intelligence and resources we
can help prevent waste crime and disrupt the criminal networks
behind it.
Merseyside Police Commissioner said:
Waste crime has a real impact on local communities, affecting the
places people live, work and take pride in.
That's why I was delighted to support this first Liverpool City
Region Waste Crime Conference. One of Merseyside's greatest
strengths is our ability to work together, and bringing partners
together to share expertise, intelligence and best practice is
essential if we are to disrupt criminal activity, protect our
communities and hold those responsible to account.
James Cruddas, Deputy Director Waste and
Recycling, Circular Economy Directorate at Defra
said:
Tackling waste crime requires a multi-agency effort. Our focus is
on combining a clear national strategy with effective local
delivery, ensuring that partners have the tools, intelligence and
powers needed to combat criminality in the waste sector.
I am pleased to join colleagues in Merseyside to discuss how we
can work together to protect the environment and support
legitimate businesses.
Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Rob Budden from Merseyside
Police said:
Waste crime is far from a victimless offence. It blights
communities, damages our environment, creates significant costs
for taxpayers and can often be linked to wider organised
criminality.
Those involved place profit before people and have little regard
for the harm they cause to local neighbourhoods.
By working closely with our partners, sharing intelligence and
coordinating enforcement activity, we are better equipped to
identify offenders, disrupt criminal networks and bring those
responsible to justice.
In December 2025, the Environment Agency closed an illegal waste
site in Knowsley, Merseyside and blocked access to the
site. It is doing everything within its powers and remit to
help manage the site while an investigation is being carried out.
It is continuing to work in partnership with Knowsley Council,
Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and
UKHSA.
Alongside this, a new Waste Crime Crackdown Group, chaired by
Environment Secretary , will bring regulators and law
enforcement together to dismantle criminal operations and deliver
results.
Greater use of drones, a bigger role for Mayors and the police,
more Environment Agency officers on the frontline, and a dramatic
rise in fines will deter and punish those who dump illegally.
This all builds on the government's Waste Crime Action
Plan: which set out a zero-tolerance approach with measures
to improve prevention, strengthen enforcement and clean up the
most serious illegal waste sites.
